Love and Rain
by El Juno
Summary: A valentine's day fic...Miyako is courting Kari, but will Kari see? Will she respond? Will there be a happy ending? Yuri/shoujo-ai. AND my 2nd 50th upload...


Wow. A Valentine's Day fic from El Juno. This thing is mostly Hiyako, some Takari. And it's not happy. If you expect happy fics from me, you aren't paying attention. Especially on Valentines Day. I hate this holiday. So, have fun, children.  
  
*****  
  
In my dreams, there was always a happy ending. Kari found out my feelings and returned them, she swept me into her arms as violins played and we rode off into the sunset.  
  
Dreams don't usually come true.  
  
For almost three weeks, leading up to Valentines Day, I'd been slipping little love letters and flowers in her locker. Flowery protestations of eternal love, violets, even roses and candy sometimes. Always signed only with a heart. If it was a heart that looked a bit like the Crest of Love, well...that wasn't my PLAN, but it was a hint. I left her these little gifts, my heart trapped between petals and pages, waiting for her to pick them up. Then I acted nonchalant as she showed me what her admirer left her that day.  
  
"Look, Miyako! Three roses and a poem!"  
  
"Wow, you're really lucky, Kari."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I am." She always smiled when she got my gifts. A beautiful smile, a smile that made her face light up like a Christmas tree. I loved being able to make her smile like that.  
  
"Any idea who it is?"  
  
"Well, I'd think Daisuke, but..."  
  
"It's not really his style."  
  
"Nope. Getting totally naked, covering himself with chocolate and singing 'Love Me Tender' below my window at midnight, that's a Daisuke plan. This...this is something different. Not him. I know who I HOPE it is..."  
  
"Who?"  
  
She blushed. "Oh, you'd laugh."  
  
"Kari, I would never laugh at you," I said sincerely.  
  
"Well..." She started.  
  
Just then the bell rang. Idiotic bell.  
  
"I'll see you later, Miyako!" She yelled.  
  
"Yeah! And you tell me then, okay!"  
  
She was laughing as we went to our respective classes.  
  
Math was a chore. No one should be expected to pay attention the day before Valentine's Day. I mean...it's just WRONG.  
  
I sat and mentally penned my next note as the teacher droned on about quadratic equations and the square root of x...or something.  
  
"Kari, my jewel..."  
  
Too stupid.  
  
"To the light of my life,"  
  
Did that give too much away? Knowing that she was Light?  
  
Oh, anyone could tell she was light. She gave it off. Like the sun. But...  
  
Yeah. It worked.  
  
"To the light of my life,  
  
"Time slows to a crawl when I am not near you. My dear, you are my everything, and I live only in your presence. I eagerly await the day when I may tell you my identity and show you who it is who loves you."  
  
That would work. I peeked up to make sure no one was looking, glad I'd grabbed the seat in the back, and then I jotted it in my notebook. I'd put it on the purple paper when I got home.  
  
The class seemed to stretch on for an eternity (time slows to a crawl when I am not near you...) before the bell rang and we filed out to lunch. Daisuke and Kari had lunch duty, and I waved to them as they carried a pot into the kitchen. Daisuke was, as usual, bitching about the uniforms, and Kari was just sort of nodding. They both waved to me with their free hands, and then we entered the cafeteria. Daisuke had been admirably restrained near Kari recently, better than I had managed. In my opinion, he's fallen for someone else. That was just fine, the less competition the better. I still hope he tells me soon. I'm dying to know. I have my suspicions...but...  
  
Nah. Couldn't be.  
  
I grabbed my plate, favoring Kari with a winning grin as I passed. (Well, I HOPE it was a winning grin. I can never really tell these days. It's pretty likely that I just looked stupid.) Then I sat at our table. I ate. After a while, Kari and Daisuke were released from the indignity of kitchen work. Kari ran over and sat down.  
  
"Well?" I asked.  
  
"Well what?" She replied.  
  
"You know. What you were about to tell me before."  
  
Kari blushed. "Oh, you don't want to know..."  
  
"Kari, I have love. It's my JOB to know. Who do you hope it is?"  
  
She grinned. "Promise you won't tell?"  
  
I crossed my heart. "Promise."  
  
She told me.  
  
My heart shattered into a million tiny pieces.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Valentine's Day.  
  
What a scam.  
  
I have it all ready. Candy, roses, and a final poem. All for her.  
  
All a waste.  
  
I can't just throw them out, though. I am Inoue Miyako. I finish what I start.  
  
Even if what was a joy has become a chore.  
  
I take a step towards her locker. Another one. Another.  
  
I hate this.  
  
Why did I have to fall for her?  
  
Another step.  
  
Someone's next to her locker. God...do I just run...or...oh, no...  
  
Not HIM.  
  
The blonde boy looks up at me and smiles. God...IDIOT! THIEF! I want to scream at him. I want to...  
  
"Hi, Miyako."  
  
I set my gifts down outside her locker. "Hi, TK."  
  
He looks at the pile, wide eyed,  
  
Kari's coming.  
  
I want to kill TK. KILL him. He stole my Kari.  
  
Kari sees us.  
  
She sees the gifts.  
  
She smiles. THAT smile. The smile that makes her whole face light up like a Christmas Tree. That wonderful smile.  
  
I love her.  
  
I only really want her to be happy. To smile like that all the time.  
  
"TK was leaving all this, Kari. I caught him." I say.  
  
She looks at it.  
  
She looks at us.  
  
She squeaks in pleasure and throws her arms around TK's neck. "I knew it was you, TK! I KNEW! I love you!"  
  
"You do?" He asks, wide eyed. Then he hugs her back. "I love you, too, Kari."  
  
I leave before the urge to smash his smiling face overwhelms me.  
  
~~~~~  
  
The school day drags on into infinity.  
  
Around halfway through my last class it starts to rain. Thus, by the time we get out of school, it's pouring.  
  
How fitting.  
  
It always rains on the unloved. I read that somewhere.  
  
I didn't really understand it until now.  
  
I sprint out of school, then walk slowly, feeling the squelch as my feet hit the ground, the pattering of the rain on my head. Hear someone call my name.  
  
"Miyako! Wait!"  
  
TK.  
  
"What?" I ask. "Here to gloat? Here to lord it over me? You won. Leave me alone."  
  
"I wanted to thank you."  
  
"You're very welcome. Now, go away. Go back to...Kari."  
  
He hesitates. Looks at me. The rain drips off that hat of his.  
  
He looks stupid.  
  
How in HELL could she fall for him?  
  
He nods.  
  
"She's probably waiting for you, TK." I say. "Go on, back to her. Walk her home." Just leave me alone.  
  
The rain is beading on my glasses.  
  
He nods again, then he sighs.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"For what? Winning? You shouldn't be sorry. You didn't make a fool out of yourself like I did. Hey, you won, right? You beat out Daisuke AND me. Fun."  
  
I try to tell myself that the fog on my glasses and the water running down my cheeks is all from the rain.  
  
It doesn't fully work.  
  
"Go ON." I say, again. God, he's like a big stupid puppy. I lost to THIS?  
  
Stupid destiny.  
  
He nods, yet again, then turns to run back.  
  
I kick a light pole, hurt my toes.  
  
What a Valentine's Day.  
  
I...I love Kari. I really do.  
  
I want her to be happy, to always smile like she does.  
  
I don't want to have to watch it, though.  
  
It always rains on the unloved.  
  
And they always walk home alone.  



End file.
